SELFy Gossip Roundup

SELFy Gossip Roundup: SELF.com

Our weekly recap of the SELFiest gossip out there! In today's roundup, unexpected tragedy, box office booms, sprung jailbirds and exciting engagements!

It deeply saddens us to report that SELFy star Brittany Murphy passed away on Sunday morning at the young age of 32. Her family, friends and peers continue to mourn this tragic loss.

James Cameron's Avatar (you know, that 3D flick with the blue aliens that everyone's been buzzing about for years?) raked in $232.2 million in box office sales worldwide in its opening weekend. Now, that doesn't come close to bringing in a profit after the studio's $400 million investment, but the studio seems to be focused more on this film's impact on the industry.

Hip-hop star T.I. was released from an Arkansas federal prison on Tuesday morning after serving seven of his 12 month sentence, and will complete his sentence in an Atlanta halfway house. He landed himself in prison after an attempt to purchase unregistered machine guns from an undercover agent (oops...).

This has been a week of serious splitsvilles for long-time Hollywood couples. The saddest in my book? The end of Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal. Seriously, they were so cute together. Other pairs that called it quits include off-and-on air coupleJamie Lynn Sigler and Jerry Ferrara, and Brody Jenner and Playmate girlfriend Jayde Nicole.

Luckily, it's not all tears and pints of ice cream for everyone; SELF January cover girl Carrie Underwood got engaged to her boyfriend, Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher! No wonder she was glowing at our cover shoot.

What SELFy gossip stories caught your eyes and ears this week?

--Kaitie Ames

Enter to Win: Burton.com's Major Giveaway!

Enter to Win: Burton.com's Major Giveaway!: SELF.com

Burton.com is nearing the end of its 240-hour live web feed giveaway, but you still have until Christmas Eve to win lots of amazing prizes. Tomorrow, they're giving away two pairs of boots and a trip to the US Open. Thursday? One Series 13 Snowboard and a trip to every snowboarder's heaven, natural terrain park, The Stash:

In addition to the scheduled giveaways, there will also be secret prize contests throughout the day. Today's secret prize challenge was being the first to run down to the Burton SOHO store, find Olympic gold-medalist Hannah Teter, and devour an entire pint of her new Ben and Jerry's flavor, Maple Blondie. The prize? A year's supply of the ice cream.

And at the very end of the 240-hour giveaway, one lucky contestant will win a Grand Prize Trip to the 2010 Olympics (where you could bump into Fitness Editor, Sheila Monaghan)! In order to win, you'll have to head over to Burton.com throughout the next few days to catch employees dropping hints on how to score prizes!

Good luck and happy boarding!

--Kaitie Ames

Crunch Fame Video

http://www.self.com/magazine/blogs/selfystars/2009/12/get-your-groove-on-nine.html

Stocking Stuffer: Yoga Tanks with a Lot to Say

Stocking Stuffer: Yoga Tanks with a Lot to Say: SELF.com

Missing a box under the tree for your fitness-fanatic loved one? Luckily, we have the perfect last-minute pick (yes, it can still arrive by Christmas!). Ideal for any yogi, we present: A Lot to Say's new yoga tank line--cute, eco-friendly and oh-so-soft...

Staying true to SELFy form, A Lot To Say's newest yoga top line is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, uses its own no-water dye process (traditional dying methods take around 15-25 gallons of water per t-shirt. That's a lot of H2O).

The line of tops features these 8 insightful sayings to choose from, so you can pick out the perfect fit for whomever you shop (I already plan on gifting the 'OM' tank to my yoga-instructor mom!):

To order a tank ($33) and check out the rest of A Lot To Say's products, visit www.ALotToSay.com.

--Kaitie Ames

SELFy Gossip Roundup

SELFy Gossip Roundup: SELF.com

Our weekly recap of the SELFiest gossip out there! In today's roundup, vows taken and broken, anticipation of blue aliens and Golden Globes galore...

After all the buzz surrounding the Snooki punch last week, MTV pulled the scene from this week's episode of The Jersey Shore, due to the fact that it was a crime. Poor Snooki keeps suffering, as she was recently fired and claims that it was at fault of being on The Jersey Shore.

In some Gleek-tastic news, the Golden Globe nominees were announced this week and Glee took the lead with 4 nods!

As of Monday morning, we've got yet another Kardashian to keep up with; Kourtney gave birth to a cutie baby boy. Congrats!

While this weekend marks the beginning of nuptials for Kevin Jonas and his fiance (sorry girls!), it marks the end for the Gosselins; as of this morning, Jon and Kate are officially divorced. Another power couple that split this week? A-Rod and Kate Hudson.

The highly anticipated James Cameron project, Avatar, hits theaters today! Officials predict the flick will take in only slightly over $75 million in its 3-day weekend debut--way less than New Moon's opening weekend's $142.8 million. Only time will tell how big of a hit Avatar will (or will not) turn out to be!

What SELFy gossip stories caught your eyes and ears this week?

The SELFy Stars Last Minute Gift Guide

The SELFy Stars Last Minute Gift Guide : SELF.com

For entertainment fanatics and procrastinators alike, we present the SELFy Stars last-minute gift guide! Even though you've cut it close, there are still fab gifts hitting shelves this week to make your loved ones giddy with joy...

Yoostar ($170, bestbuy.com)

Perfect for: Aspiring actors or simply cinephiles, young and old!
With Yoostar, you can choose from over 100 classic movie scenes, film yourself in the scene as one of the main characters, and post the video at Yoostar.com for the world to see!

Scene It? Twilight Deluxe Edition ($22, Amazon.com)
Perfect for: Any and all Twi-Hards alike.
Like the original Scene It, the Twilight version challenges the players by testing their knowledge of the film and prove that they are, in fact, the Cullen clan's biggest fan (unless, of course, they happen to be competing against an even bigger vamp-lover).

American Idol All Star Challenge DVD Game ($15, Fox.com)
Perfect for: Karaoke-lovers and American Idol fans
This interactive game tests players knowledge of the series and prompts you to perform songs by pulling talent cards and genre cards.

So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit: Tone & Groove DVD ($17, Amazon.com)
Perfect for: Those who love to dance, those who think they can dance, and those who want to get fit and have fun.
What better way to get into shape this New Year than by dancing along with the best of the SYTYCD competitors, all in the comfort of your living room?

The Office Bobbleheads ($19, NBC.com)
Perfect for: The Office fanatics
Now, just like Dwight, you can keep a collection of tiny bobblehead versions of these amazing characters on your desk, in your home, or wherever you choose!

Team Edward/Jacob Tees ($30, Nordstrom.com)
Perfect for: Members of Team Edward. Or Team Jacob.
It's the true battle of this century, for sure: Team Edward vs. Team Jacob. Now, you can wear your loyalty proudly on your chest for everyone to see!

Glee: The Music, Volumes 1 and 2Â ($10 each, Amazon.com)
Perfect for: Gleeks (admit it, you secretly love the Glee club in all its glory!)
Sadly, FOX's new breakout hit, Glee, has gone into hibernation until April. For any Glee fan, the perfect gift to hold them over is this: Glee: The Music, Volumes 1 and 2.

The Hangover ($20, Amazon.com)
Perfect for: Anyone that loves a great comedy.
One of the funniest flicks of the year has finally been released on DVD this week, so go out, scoop it up before it's gone, and gear up for some serious laughs.

Harry Potter Years 1-6 ($45, Amazon.com)
Perfect for: Rising Hogwarts students (oh yeah, and Harry Potter fans!)
Give the gift that will keep on giving--the complete Harry Potter DVD series following Harry's first 6 years at Hogwarts!

Gingerbread Mad Men
Perfect for: Santa Clause, Mad Men fans and cookie fans.
For those of you who love to create your own gifts, I present to you, the recipe for gingerbread Mad Men (seriously, can it get any cuter?)!

5 Delicious, All-Natural Snacks!

5 Delicious, All-Natural Snacks!: SELF.com

You're sitting at your desk, the clock strikes 3pm, and...bam! The slump hits you. A trip to the vending machine leads to a decision between chips, candy and soda. Notquiiiite the nutritious pick-me-up you need. How to avoid this problem? Stock up on these five all-natural, ten-second sweet or savory snacks, courtesy of The Perfect 10 Diet's Dr. Michael Aziz!...

1. A mixed-berry, coconut milk smoothie. Mix berries of your choice, coconut milk and ice and blend for a cool, refreshing treat. The coconut milk tastes sweeter and is extra-hydrating.

2. One banana sliced and sprinkled with dark cocoa powder. Potassium in banana banishes bloat, while dark chocolate adds a hint of antioxidants!

3. Chickpeas. Add some flavor with this SELFy recipe: the night before work, toss the chickpeas with olive oil and curry powder, and roast away for a spicy treat!

4. Lettuce leaves dipped in avocado mashed with sea salt and pepper. Avocados in this savory snack provide healthy fats while lettuce leaves instead of chips save calories.

5. Frozen grapes. At only 62 calories per cup, you can snack on grapes to your heart's content! They're water-rich so they make a great frozen treat and can help keep you hydrated.

For more information on alternatives to processed foods in Dr. Aziz's book, The Perfect 10 Diet, visit Perfect10Diet.com.

--Kaitie Ames

Fitness Gift Guide (All for $30 or Less!)

Fitness Gift Guide (All for $30 or Less!): SELF.com

Presenting: the go-to gift guide from the SELF Fitness team (all for $30 or less!)...

Old Navy Running Shorts ($15, OldNavy.com for stores)

SELF says: "Cute running shorts in ripe raspberry make it easy to get motivated."

Yogalosophy ($30, mandyingber.shop.sportstoday.com)

Meaghan says: "The DVD is pretty darn AMAZING! I know because I had the privilege of helping Mandy develop it."

Rider Sandals ($24, RiderSandals.com)

SELF says: "Your fave gym rat can pad around the locker room in colorful comfort."

SPIbelt ($19.95, spibelt.com)

Erin says: "My favorite hands free carry-all is my SPIbelt. It's a storage life saver for anyone who's on the move. The belt pocket holds a ton of stuff (phone, gum, keys, ID) and it doesn't bounce around while you're working out!"

Sigg Om Bottle ($25, lululemon.com)

Kaitie says: "At first sight, I fell in love with its design: lime green with the saying "I heart running" in white with a hot pink heart--seriously, how cute?!"

Reversible Yoga Mat ($30, Nike.com)

SELF says: "The yogi in your life will adore having this reversible yoga mat in hers."

Asics Arm Warmers ($8, AsicsAmerica.com)

Sheila says: "The arm warmers are awesome! And as an added bonus, I felt pretty darn cool. If you've ever watched the marathon, the elites rock these arm warmers, so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for little old me."

For more gift ideas under $30, check out the SELF gift guide in our December issue, on stands now!

--Kaitie Ames